connection hints
Yellow. Easiest.
One word in this group is DUCK DUCK GOOSE.
The group is CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES.
DUCK DUCK GOOSE, HOT POTATO, LEAPFROG, MUSICAL CHAIRS
Green. Fairly easy.
One word in this group is ALPHA DOG.
The group is IMPORTANT PERSON.
ALPHA DOG, BIG CHEESE, HEAVYWEIGHT, TOP BANANA
Blue. Tricky.
One word in this group is AMERICAN GOTHIC.
The group is FAMOUS PAINTINGS.
AMERICAN GOTHIC, CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN, SUNFLOWERS, THE SCREAM
Purple. Hardest.
One word in this group is ENGLISH HORN.
The group is DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION).
ENGLISH HORN, GRAPE-NUTS, MANTIS SHRIMP, SWEETBREAD
These NYT connection hints are for the New York Times connection on October 21, 2026. Use them the way you would use a New York Times connection solver. The NYT connection answers stay behind each button until you open that group.
New York Times connection tips
- Clear yellow first. Those four words are the straightforward group. Once they are gone, the harder three are easier to see.
- Watch the word that fits two ideas. If a word could belong to the obvious set and also to a stranger set, it usually belongs to blue or purple.
- A perfect set is often one word off. Colors, animals, and foods are common traps. Three words belong together, and the fourth is there to pull you into a wrong guess.
- Stop when the game says one away. Read the three words that were right. The missing fourth word is the clue to the real category. Do not spend the next guess on another word from the same obvious theme.
- Leave purple for last. Purple is often wordplay, such as a fill-in-the-blank, words that go before or after another word, or a sound-alike. If you can name three groups out loud, the leftover four are probably the pun.
- You only get four mistakes. Guess a group when you can say the category in a few words. If you cannot name it yet, it is not ready.